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The Conversation
The Conversation
Environment
Victor Gambarini, PhD Student in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Most plastics are made from fossil fuels and end up in the ocean, but marine microbes can’t degrade them – new research

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Marine plastic pollution is a massive environmental issue, with a plastic smog of an estimated 170 trillion particles afloat in the world’s oceans. This highlights how urgently we need to develop strategies to mitigate this environmental crisis.

We know some microbes can break down certain plastics, but our new study finds no clear correlation between plastic pollution levels and the production of plastic-degrading enzymes by marine microorganisms.

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